FDR and the $1 Bill

Let's talk about the only time a US President got involved in banknote design, helping to create the famous design on the back of the $1 bill.

During an interview with Silver Bullion TV last year, I related the story of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the redesign of the $1 note in 1935. That year the Silver Certificate was being modified, and it was decided to change the back.

FDR was an avid stamp collector and often weighed in on new stamp designs at the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). In the $1 redesign, he again got involved. The back used the two sides of the Great Seal of the US.

The image shows the original design model for the back. FDR at first signed off on it but then changed his mind, crossing out his signature. In his rough drawing, he directed the switching of the positions of the eagle and the pyramid.

The problem was that the eagle was looking off the note, which is a compositional error. Shifting its position to the right side now had the eagle looking toward the center of the note. And, this is still the design used today.

This model shown is in the archives of the BEP, and I have handled it many times.